Using genes from four different strains of group B streptococcus bacteria, researchers have developed what may be a universal vaccine for the germ that can cause life-threatening infections in newborn babies.Because there are numerous strains of group B strep, the challenge for researchers had been to come up with a vaccine that could cover more than one strain. However, Italian and U.S. researchers worked their way around that problem by using different genes from different strains, and when the newly developed vaccine was given to adult female mice, it was able to protect their offspring against numerous strains of group B strep."Group B strep isn’t a single species and that complicates the story quite a bit,” explained Guido Grandi, vice president and head of biochemistry and molecular biology at Chiron Vaccines in Siena, Italy.Results of the study appear in the July 1 issue of Science.
